Electrical conductors in the form of conductive foils are increasingly finding their way into many fields of engineering, for example automotive engineering. In addition to low production costs, the advantages of these foils are their flexibility and low overall height and a high electrical loading capacity. The latter is a consequence of the high surface/volume ratio, in comparison to electrical conductors with a round cross-section, resulting in improved cooling of the conductors. The high electrical loading capacity can be used for higher currents or for relatively smaller conductor cross-sections having the same current carrying capability.
Foils with a plurality of parallel conductor tracks correspond to conventional multi-core conductors. The interfaces with conventional conductors (for example cable harnesses) or with power consuming devices (for example electric motors or lighting fixtures) are a problem with foils as the conventional connecting techniques (for example soldering or welding) cannot be used. Therefore connectors are interposed, of which the contacts create a spring loaded connection to the conductor tracks of the foil and a connection to conventional current conductors.
EP 0 926 778 A2 discloses a connector for detachably connecting an electrically conductive foil to electrically conductive socket contacts of a socket housing, wherein the foil can be inserted into contact receiving apertures of spring contacts of the socket contacts and can be jammed therein. In the the socket contact there are resilient points of contact in its aperture. A certain mating force, with which the foil has to be inserted into the aperture, is required to overcome them. However, this requires considerably stiffness of the foil, so thin and flexible foils cannot be used in this connector.
An object of the invention is therefore to create an improved connector, a corresponding contact and an improved housing for detachably connecting a foil to a socket contact.